The present invention relates to a collapsible footrest assembly for a gliding ottoman and a gliding ottoman equipped with such a collapsible footrest assembly.
Gliding ottomans have become popular in the past decade, especially in conjunction with the new models of gliding rockers now available on the market. Lately, models of ottomans with a footrest which collapses inside the ottoman structure have been proposed. However, the footrest mechanisms are generally rudimentary and often unsafe.
One known model has a footrest which is mounted between slides attached to the base. The footrest is positioned for use by sliding it out and lowering its front part against the ground. It is set back in the ottoman by lifting its front part and sliding it in. The footrest is provided with a rear key member which pivots with the footrest and engages with a locking member under the top gliding structure of the ottoman to prevent it from gliding when the footrest is slid out and pivoted down for use. The locking is effective only when the footrest is completely drawn out and rests on the ground. Also, sufficient pressure against the top gliding structure in the gliding direction may cause the footrest to lift and the key member to undesirably disengage from the locking member.
U.S. Pat. No. 815,046 (Sherman), U.S. Pat. No. Re. 24,128 (Creveling et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,293 (Eichorst), U.S. Pat. No. 2,822,861 (Parent), U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,081 (Dillon), U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,772 (Lucky), U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,234 (Peters), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,212 (Praria et al.), show different kinds of ottomans, stools, footrests or similar pieces of furniture, and illustrate the state of the art.
An object of the invention is to provide a collapsible footrest assembly for a gliding ottoman which has an improved design over the prior art, yet which remains simple in construction and highly cost-competitive while being reliable and efficient.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a footrest assembly which can be used to lock the gliding ottoman without drawing out the footrest.
According to the present invention, there is provided a collapsible footrest assembly for a gliding ottoman with a top structure gliding upon a base, comprising:
a slide arrangement having opposite front and rear ends between which a pair of parallel, elongated slides extend;
mounting means for movably mounting the slide arrangement under the top structure of the gliding ottoman between upper and lower positions with respect to the top structure of the gliding ottoman;
a footrest slidably and pivotally mounted between the slides for sliding operation between a slide-in position wherein the footrest extends and is supported between the slides and a slide-out position wherein the footrest is drawn out and pivoted down in front of the slides;
hooking means for detachably hooking the slide arrangement under the top structure in the upper position; and
locking means for detachably locking the slide arrangement with the base when the slide arrangement is in the lower position.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a gliding ottoman equipped with a collapsible footrest assembly as described above.